CONCLUSION

Although some Muslims consider imagery and Qur’anic verse in con­temporary and historic Islamic art as a threat to the integrity of Islamic law,^[1238] such approaches do not represent the understanding of the inter­dependent relationship between Islamic art and Islamic law by most Muslim communities.

The lack of figurative representation in Islamic art is often also subjected to the Western understanding of art as a cultural movement toward the most accurate representation of the human figure, which is considered to parallel the development of civilisation. This narrow view of the relationship between artistic progression and social development has resulted in the denigration of Islamic art, and therefore Islamic law and civilisation, as primitive and backward for its perceived aversion to the development of figurative style. The reality is that Muslims are constantly changing and evolving their understanding and relationship with religious law. Like any other culture, ‘Muslims ceaselessly rethink and rework their art as they respond to the shifting currents of culture, politics and history, and as they negotiate identifications with nation, ethnicity, and ideology.’^[1240] This reflects the contention of this chapter that the primary texts of Islamic law are living, dynamic texts that are open to different interpretations across contemporary nation states, religious communities and individuals, including as they apply to Islamic art.

15.